Giuliani favored among GOP

Rudolph Giuliani leads the race for the GOP presidential nomination, with Republican voters describing him as the field's strongest leader and most electable candidate in the 2008 general election, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

But the Republican contest remains unsettled just three months before the first votes will be cast, and in comparison to fellow New York politician Hillary Rodham Clinton, Giuliani is a far less solid front-runner. He currently has double the support of his nearest rival, but a majority of those who support him do so only "somewhat." At the same time, his advantages on key attributes are smaller today than they were earlier in the campaign, reflecting continued uncertainty among Republicans about their choices in the presidential race.

The poll also marked an interruption in what had been a slow but steady rise in support for Fred Thompson. The former senator from Tennessee nearly doubled his support from April to early September as he prepared to enter the race, but has not picked up additional backing since.

Giuliani topped the Republican field with 34 percent, with Thompson at 17 percent and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) at 12 percent in the new poll. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney was in fourth with 11 percent but has continued to make strong showings in polls.

McCain has slipped somewhat over the past month, dipping to his lowest level of the year. Early last month, Giuliani led with 28 percent and McCain trailed with 18 percent; Thompson was at 19 percent. But other findings in the new poll showed McCain holding up well against the other candidates, despite the severe turbulence his campaign experienced over the summer.